Miller guides team Orange Crush to Philly double

CHESTER PA – Tyler Miller spent much of his spring and early summer in Kentucky, racing at Oak Grove and the local fairs with an occasional trip back East, but now he is concentrating on the Middle Atlantic states – and made an impact at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Thursday by winning both of the harness racing trotting features with “Team Orange Crush” horses. Not much was similar about the two miles except “He had the lead in the first turn” and “He came back to the winners circle.”

FLEX UP REPLAY

The richer race was the $13,500 contest for developing horses, and Miller went directly to early command with the Chapter Seven sophomore colt Flex Up, then saw favorites Greenma and Moni Buys Happynes make several exchanges of the lead during fractions of :27.2, :57.1, and 1:25.2 while sitting third-inside. The two-wide outer tier behind the dogfight had not given Flex Up clearance, so Miller had to back his colt out and was two-, three-, and four-wide late on the turn and into the stretch before getting in gear and catching Allioop Blue Chip, the horse just in front of him entering the stretch, by a neck while taking a new mark of 1:55.

The “Orange Crush” family connections show here, as Tyler’s mother Julie trains the horse, and his dad Andy is co-owner as Miller Iannacone along with Jean Goehlen, AC Crawford Racing Stable, and Mortgage Boys Stable.

These connections also show with the Muscle Hill gelding Little Expensive, winner of the $13,000 fast-class feature, with VIP Internet Stable LLC replacing the last two owners of Flex Up. Handicapped to the outside post eight, Little Expensive was four-wide to the first turn and three-wide much of the way around it, finally getting on top by the :27.1 opening station. Little Expensive and Tyler did get a breather to the :57.2 half, then darted home in :57 to complete the 1:54.2 mile, with the winner a length ahead of pocketsitter Frank The Elder, who in turn won a photo with the unlucky Yall Keep Dreaming for the deuce.

LITTLE EXPENSIVE REPLAY

Patrick Ryder and Corey Callahan had three sulky triumphs on the card, with two of Callahan’s coming for trainer David Wiest. Driving doubles were Tyler Miller (both for his mom Julie, as above), Russell Foster, and Mark Herschberger.

Racing comes right back at Philly on Friday at 12:40, with a fine group of female pacers assembled for the $14,000 feature race; there will also be a carryover into the fifth race Pick-5. Then on Sunday, Harrah’s Philadelphia will host the $1.4M Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championships card for three-year-olds, with many Grand Circuit stars contesting their respective $300,000 finales – and there will be a $10,000 guaranteed Pick-4 pool on the four big races. Free Philly programs are or will be available at www.phha.org.

For complete race results, click here: US Trotting results.

From the PHHA / Harrah’s Philadelphia